Whenever you can’t skate, playing skateboarding video games is the next best thing. They can help you learn new tricks, keep you entertained, and just keep you occupied whenever you aren’t skating.
Now there are a lot of skateboarding video games out there, but not all of them are worth your time, let alone your money.
Today we’re going to go over the 5 best skateboarding video games.
1. TrueSkate App
TrueSkate is one of the best skateboarding apps out there.
Since TrueSkate is only an app, and most phones don’t have buttons, the way you play is completely different from console games.
Rather than using buttons or joysticks, you actually use your fingers to skate, similar to the way you’d use a fingerboard. This makes it a little hard to get used to at first, but once you get the hang of it it’s a lot of fun to play. Also, since TrueSkate is an app, you can basically play it where ever, which isn’t the case for most other skateboarding games.
For being a mobile game, the graphics are actually really good, and they regularly update it so they’re likely to get even better over time.
TrueSkate features a lot of famous skateparks like the Berrics, Tampa, and even some Street League courses, but you do have to pay extra for most of them.
With that said, the app only costs a couple of dollars, and there are so many courses to choose from that it’s easy to spend a few bucks and have plenty of parks to skate.
True Skate is one of the more realistic skate games out there, which is usually the reason why a lot of people either love it or hate it. The realistic physics makes it pretty hard to get used to, but a lot of skaters appreciate how accurate it is to actual skateboarding.
Since it’s a mobile game, it’s perfect for passing some time when you’re just sitting around. Also, it only costs a couple of dollars, which is more than fair for such a fun game.
2. 720
720 is the first-ever skateboarding video game, or at least the first-ever skateboarding game that was widely distributed. 720 was originally made by Atari in 1986 as an arcade game, but was eventually turned into a game for both consoles and PCs.
Now you may be thinking, wait, how can a skateboarding game from the ’80s be one of the best skating games?
Well to be honest, by most standards it probably isn’t, but it paved the way for future skateboarding games, and it is fun to play, so it deserves a little bit of credit.
Compared to most of today’s skateboarding video games, 720 is, well less than impressive, but for its time it was a pretty decent game. It only allows you to do a few simple tricks, and the graphics are exactly what you would expect out of a game from 1986, but overall it’s really not that bad.
The game essentially has 4 levels that include “ramp”, “downhill”, “slalom”, and “jump”. Now if the pixelated graphics and background music didn’t immediately let you know the game was from the ’80s, the fact that they have a downhill and slalom section is a solid giveaway. It’s a pretty weird selection to choose from, but it does add a little variety so you aren’t just riding around doing nothing.
The game mostly consists of you skating around to get money, buy gear, and go to new parks, which isn’t different from what a lot of skaters do in real life. I mean if they updated it to allow you to scroll through Instagram it’d be pretty spot-on.
Compared to almost every other skateboarding video game, 720 might seem pretty bad, but it can actually be a lot of fun, and for its time it’s a good game.
3. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
Tony Hawks’ Pro Skater revolutionized not just skateboarding video games, but video games in general.
Even though there were a few random skateboarding video games between the mid-’80s and late ’90s none of them even came close to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. It’s one of the best-selling video games of all time, and since it was first released in 1999, it’s had almost 20 different sequels and remakes.
Tony Hawks Pro Skater is the game that made Tony Hawk a household name, and really put skateboarding on the map.
Seriously, there’s probably not a single event in history that created more future skateboarders than the release of Tony Hawk’s pro skater. According to a market research firm, the number of skateboarders worldwide increased by more than 60 percent between 1999 and 2002, which doesn’t seem like a coincidence.
Tony Hawks Pro skater allowed you to skate as your favorite pros, it had a decent variety of tricks, and it let you skate almost any obstacle. I mean what other game lets you grind powerlines?
It was also one of the first video games in general with a good soundtrack, and it definitely influenced the music taste of millions of kids. The games were also filled with cool easter eggs and subliminal jokes, and honestly, there just isn’t another franchise like it.
Also, the first 2 Tony Hawks Pro Skaters are about to be remastered, which means you can still relive the classics with better graphics on a next-gen console.
Now of course out of almost 20 remakes, there’s definitely some that stand out as being amazing, and others that are, well pretty bad, so rather than try to tell you which Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is the best, leave a comment on which one you think is the best, and lets just see what people choose.
4. Session
Session is one of the newest skateboarding video games, and it’s actually still in the beta testing stages. Even though it’s not finished, it’s available on Steam and on Xbox One as an early release, and so far it seems like it’s on track to be one of the best skateboarding video games ever.
As of now, Session is the most realistic skating game there is, and it does take some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it it’s a lot of fun to play.
The physics in the game are pretty spot on, and the controls even mimic actual body movements when you’re skating. The analog sticks on the controller are what controls your legs, so for example, if you wanted to ollie, you would push down on the back foot, which is the right stick for regular stance, and at the same time slide up the front foot by pushing up on the left stick.
Just like with actual skateboarding, it takes a lot of coordination, but if you get good at it you can skate much more realistically, and even tweak your tricks once you get better at them. This is a big difference from other games where there are preset buttons or analog stick patterns you follow to do a trick, so it allows you to form your own style, similar to actual skating.
The graphics in the game are incredible, and it’s honestly more like a skateboarding simulator than a skateboarding game. Some of the other realistic features of the game that have been mentioned include the ability to wax ledges and rail, as well as filmer mode, where you get to act as a filmer.
So far there still isn’t a final release date for the full game, but it’s been in the works for a while, so hopefully it’ll be available in the next few months.
5. Skater XL
Skater XL is one of the newer skateboarding games out, and it’s often compared to Session.
Just like with Session, Skater XL has realistic skating, great graphics, and a controller layout that mirrors your foot movements when you’re actually skating.
Again, the controls make the game a lot harder, but it also gives you a lot more freedom to develop your own style within the game.
Skater XL has basically everything you could want out of a skateboarding game including real-life spots, realistic skating, and more than enough challenges to keep you occupied. There’s also a pretty big modding community for it, so there are always new features coming out.
Skater XL has been in development for years, but has managed to build up a pretty solid fan base just with its beta.
It was finally released in 2020, and the developed continues to release updates every few months.
6. EA Skate (SKATE 1, 2, 3, & 4)
SKATE is one of the best skateboarding game series of all time, and it’s the best thing to happen to the skateboarding video game genre since the first Tony Hawks Pro Skater.
SKATE 1, SKATE 2, and SKATE 3 all completely changed the way people play skateboarding video games. Each game added amazing features like wider trick selections, better graphics and controls, map builders, the option to record tricks, and even an online community.
SKATE was the first realistic skateboarding game to come out, and it really revamped the skateboarding video game genre. They took an entirely new approach, and so far all 3 of the skate games are considered classics.
The only real complaint most people have about the EA SKATE games is that there’s not enough of them. The SKATE games all have great soundtracks, good storylines, and massive maps that you can skate around for hours without getting bored.
Even though SKATE 3 came out over 10 years ago, there are plenty of people who still play it today, which just goes to show how much of a timeless game it is. Also, it was just announced that they’re finally going to make SKATE 4, which might be the only time a video game sequel was made 10 years after the last release.
I mean seriously, people waited 10 years for a sequel, and they weren’t even made about it. They were just happy that after all of their Instagram comments, EA finally decided to make SKATE 4.
The first 3 SKATE games were already amazing, and once SKATE 4 comes out, it’s likely to be another one of, if not the best skate game.
What is the best skateboarding game / app?
Ever since the first tony hawks pro skater came out, skateboarding video games have almost become a part of skateboarding culture.
If you aren’t able to go out and skate, playing Skateboarding video games is a great way to fill the void. They’re a fun way to pass the time and do tricks you’ve always wanted to do, or skate spots you’ve always wanted to skate.
There are so many amazing skateboarding games out there that it’s basically impossible to say which ones are really the best, but these are a few that are definitely worth playing.